Enough already about the weather

Is there anyone else out there in America who is absolutely sick of hearing every detail about the recent earthquake, and now Hurricane Irene? The only reason we are not still hearing about the earthquake is because it happened too fast for advance coverage, and was overtaken by advance coverage of the hurricane. Yes, it has been an unusual week.

But why do I need to see a reporter standing in the wind-driven surf at Ocean City, hours before the heart of the storm is there, and pointing out to me that someone's siding has come off the building already? Are people really this curious about the details that go on everywhere each day? Why should anyone, except the owner of that building, be concerned about that siding, save perhaps for their insurance company?

Today's media coverage is obsessed with images and data, processed in a constant stream, and in a way that detracts from quality of life. It's not that there are not legitimate public safety concerns, but the type of coverage the public routinely receives on these things goes way beyond public safety needs.

We are not receiving all this information because it is helpful but because it is possible to collect and propagate it so easily today. We are playing with technology instead of simply living. The most difficult part of admitting this is that we have forgotten how to distinguish one from the other.

I was one of many at the Public Service Commission's hearing Tuesday night who had a story to share about BGE's poor performance after Hurricane Irene. The meeting did not start out well, as the 100 plus group of people who showed up were locked out of the building due to the failure of the PSC...

After leaving Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers without power for up to eight days and with a poorly functioning customer service line in the wake of Hurricane Irene, it's appalling that Constellation Energy Group would have the nerve to turn around and ask us to foot the bill for cleanup...

In his letter ridiculing the "Bible thumpers" who believe hurricanes and other natural disasters are punishments from God, Luther Starnes appears to promote a common but dangerous misconception when he writes that "attributing destruction and vengeance to an all-loving God could border on blasphemy" ("Angry...

I live in the Phoenix area of Baltimore County and we didn't get power back in our homes until Sept. 2. I understand that power has to be restored to hospitals, nursing homes, emergency treatment centers and other places of critical importance. But BGE should have given more priority to the homes...